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Aviation experts are raising serious national security concerns about ensuring that the U.S. government properly vets risks from companies that provide air traffic control (ATC) technologies to China, pointing out that the U.S. could be vulnerable to cyberattacks if such companies are permitted to design or operate American ATC systems like the new common automation platform (CAP). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced last November that it was seeking proposals to revolutionize how ATC officials receive flight data and move aircraft between facilities with a “single, state-of-the-art platform” referred to as a CAP, as part of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s...

Air traffic controllers in Washington and the pilots of President Trump's helicopter met to discuss communication issues one week before a jet was allowed to take off just as Marine One left the White House, federal investigators said Thursday. Controllers reported not receiving the standard three-minute warning call ahead of Marine One flights and both sides agreed to an alternative in those instances — but that plan to relay the radio call through someone else was also unsuccessful on the day of the Aug. 4 incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report shows....

Tonight we’re learning of a new communications incident involving Marine One while President Trump was on board. And the FAA is now moving to fire some air traffic controllers at LaGuardia after last March's fatal plane crash there.

The international airport just minutes away from Donald Trump's Florida home has been officially renamed. Palm Beach International Airport has, as of Thursday, become the President Donald J Trump International Airport. 'The 3-letter location identifier for PBI is changing during the overnight to DJT,' read a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alert sent out on Wednesday evening. The change comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law in March to rename Trump's hometown airport after the 45th and 47th President. Though the FAA three-letter code has changed to DJT, passengers may have to wait to see the President's initials on...

WASHINGTON — The FAA is seeking out gamers to become air-traffic controllers. A video released by the federal Department of Transportation on Friday targeted the video-game enthusiasts as part of the government’s hiring surge aimed at adding close to 9,000 more air-traffic controllers by 2028. The video asks the gamers whether they’re “up for the challenge” of becoming an ATC but cautions that the job isn’t just a “game” — it’s a “career. “You’ll keep millions of people safe every day,” the video says, while touting average salaries of up to $155,000 by your third year on the job. The...

The grind towards operational, commercial flying taxis might finally come to an end this summer. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has selected eight projects for the Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The new initiative is aimed at accelerating the safe commercial use of next-generation flying taxis. After receiving more than 30 proposals, the program selected eight state-led efforts spanning 26 states. These will test urban air taxis, regional passenger flights, cargo delivery, medical response, and autonomous operations in real-world conditions. Public operations are scheduled to...

A flying taxi took a spin over San Francisco Thursday — and the Bay Area’s tech crowd was there to watch. The small electric aircraft from Joby Aviation flew across San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge during a demonstration flight that drew reporters and industry guests to the St. Francis Yacht Club. The flight is part of the company’s push to launch electric air taxis — small vertical takeoff planes designed to carry passengers on short trips of roughly 10 to 50 miles. Joby’s aircraft seats four passengers and uses six propellers. The company says rides could cost...

The U.S. military shot down a Customs and Homeland Security drone on Thursday evening, which led to the abrupt closure of airspace over Fort Hancock, Texas, lawmakers said. At 6:30 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace, citing “special security reasons.” The FAA’s official notice of the closure currently says the closure will remain in effect until June 24. As it turns out, the “special security reasons” involved a friendly fire incident in which the U.S. military shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a laser-based anti-drone system. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), the top Democrat...

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that all U.S. airlines must certify they are conducting merit-based hiring for pilots or face a federal investigation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the action was to address "allegations of airlines hiring based on race and sex," and added under the directive "all U.S. carriers will be required to certify this practice is terminated." Shortly after taking office in January 2025, President Donald Trump issued sweeping executive orders to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the United States and pressured the private sector to join the initiative....

WASHINGTON — The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday stemmed from the Pentagon's plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share sensitive details. That caused friction with the Federal Aviation Administration, which wanted to ensure commercial air safety and the two agencies sought to coordinate, according to two of the people. Despite a meeting scheduled later this month to discuss the issue, the Pentagon wanted to go ahead and test the laser, prompting...

Drones operated by Mexican drug cartels entered US airspace late Tuesday, forcing a brief closure of the skies over El Paso, Texas, a Trump administration official told The Post Wednesday morning. “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace,” the official said. “The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.” The Federal Aviation Administration initially announced a 10-day restriction on air traffic over the border city, effective at 11:30 p.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday). Fewer than eight hours later, the FAA wrote on X: “The...

All flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas have been halted for “special security reasons,” the Federal Aviation Administration said early Wednesday. content. arrow “No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM,” the FAA said, using the abbreviation for Notice to Airmen. It listed the reason as “temporary flight restrictions for Special Security Reasons.”

Unusual shut down if a fairly major airport for 10 days....national security? Terror threat? Or ???

Daniel Huff, a former White House lawyer, noted in a recent analysis that the drive toward diversity and inclusion in the airline industry has put passengers at risk. In an article for the New York Post, Huff wrote that President Donald Trump was right to rescind diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration. That’s because female and minority pilots — many of whom entered the industry amid a drive toward diversity among pilots — were responsible for half of pilot-error crashes. Despite making up 10 percent of pilots, they were responsible for four out of eight such crashes since 2000....

Orlando International Airport was forced to ground all flights on Sunday afternoon after “extreme cold” sparked an emergency in the air traffic tower. The FAA issued an alert about the ground stop due to a “possible fire” at an air traffic control tower early Sunday afternoon, but the order was lifted at 4:15 p.m. after the cause was determined. In reality, the extreme cold — currently 43 degrees — caused a spinkler head in the fire suppression system at the facility to activate. The agency had sent out a bare-bones “fire alarm/safety” advisory that a tower was evacuating due to...

Wild video shows a wheel falling off a British Airways flight just after it took off from a Las Vegas airport. Flight BA274 had just taken off from Harry Reid International Airport en route to the UK at around 8:45 p.m. Monday when sparks could be seen flying out of the right landing gear. As the plane started to ascend, it retracted its landing gear — just for one of the wheels to fall off and onto the runway. Despite the scare, the flight continued and “landed safely” at London Heathrow Airport nine hours later, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)...

Three million Americans will board a plane today assuming the pilot earned that seat through merit. They shouldn’t. For decades, airlines have subordinated safety to diversity quotas. President Donald Trump rightly recognized this danger: Early on, he ordered the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation to rescind all DEI initiatives and return to merit-based hiring and promotions. But the FAA can, and must, do more. Federal law makes it illegal to run an airline “without an air carrier operating certificate. These certificates must “contain terms necessary to ensure safety” and can be revoked if the “public interest” requires it....

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines on Friday to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing the risks of potential military activities and GPS interference. The FAA said it had issued Notices to Airmen covering Mexico and Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and portions of airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean. The warnings began on Friday and will last 60 days, it said. Tensions between the U.S. and regional leaders have ramped up since the Trump administration mounted a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean, attacked Venezuela and...

Who exactly are the people responsible for directing air traffic in the sky? We did a deep dive into what these people are posting openly online, and what we found might disturb you.

Air traffic controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the government shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuses, the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration said this week. The bonuses will go to 776 controllers and technicians, who will receive notification next week with payments going out by Dec. 9, the FAA and DOT said. There are about 11,000 fully certified air traffic controllers in the U.S., according to their union. “These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a release late Thursday. The DOT...